Apparatus for lubricating the flanges of vehicle-wheels.



s. E, mam-Y. A?PARATUS FOR LUBRIGATHM THE FLAEGBS OF VEHICLE WHEELS.

APPLIUATION Z-ILED D130. l9, 1911.

Yam-tented M11229, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mamie J. B. FEENEY. APPARATUS FOR LUBRIUATING THE FLANGES'OF VEHICL E WHEELS.

I APPLICATION FILED DEG.1Q,191 1. Lfi fifl iwi-w Patented Apr. 29, 1913 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5. E, FEEEEY. APPARATUS FOR LUBRIGATING THE FLANGES 0F VEEIGLE WHEELS APPLICATION FILED D31), 19, 1911,

3 SEEETS SHEET 3.

E E M\ E.

cant to the flanges ofthe wheels of rail UNITED sTArEs PATENT OFFICE.

Jmnsnnwman FEENEY, or mon'rnanv, mnxrco.

APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING THE FLANGES 0F VEHICLE-WHEELS.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, JAMns EDWARD FEE- NEY, of Monterey, Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Lubricating the Flanges of Vehicle-VVheels, of which the following is a specification- This invention relates to an improved apparatus for lubricating the flanges of vehicle wheels; and has reference to devices "employed for the purpose of applying lubriroad and similar vehicles when said wheels ,are roundlngcurves.

The invention consists broadly of a lubrioator which is normally inoperative but which when a curve is reached isautomati- "orally-operated -to apply a supply of lubricent to the wheel flange.

-11Theapparatus comprises a fork shaped -devicehaving lubricatmg rollers carried at its forked 'end' and.the device as a whole is f .capableof adjustment relatively to the.wheel The lubricating device aforesaid is con aecadwith a Source of lubricant SPP1Y and also! some source :of: compressed. air which may conveniently be derived from the air b akelsystem when'the apparatus is used in railway-vehicle'.-

Normally-the device is inoperative. 'That to'say; althoughthereis a. flow of lubrii cant-totheinte'rior of the lubricating device there is no'supply=to-thedirbricating rollers which-are "out of contact with the wheel jflange'. 1 When however a curve is reached a device s automatically operated which opens a valve and enables compressed air to enter the lubricating device and this compressed airoperates to carry the forked end of the lubricator into contact with or in 'close proximity'to the wheel flange and also to cause an ejectment of lubricant on to the wheel flange by way of the lubricating roll ers aforesaid. When the curvehowever ispassed the whole apparatus revertsto its drawings wherein:

Specification of Letters Patent.

-openin 1 which is alwayslocated between-the'oppos' Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application filed December 19, 1911. Serial No. 666,756.

of the apparatus? Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof. Fig. t is a transverse sectional -view'on line X-X of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on line YY of Fig. 3 showing the manner in which the lubricating rollers are housed. Fig. 6 is a view. of a detail, and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view illustratmg the apparatus designed to be operated by contact with the frame of the vehicle instead of by contact with the vehicle wheel.

-Referring to these drawings wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever occurring the numeral 1 designates a railway track and 2 the wheel of a railway wagon running on the track.

On a suitably supported'framework 3 car- 'ried by thewa-gon the lubricating device as a whole is carried and is preferably supported pivotally sothat the operative end of the lubricator can be adjusted in position relative to the flange of the wheel'-2.- To thisend the supporting boss 4 0i the device is rotat-able upon the supporting bearing or block 5 secured to the framework, and

the boss; has a lug or projection "6 which I engages between the sprlngcontrolledpins 7, \;.One of these pins 7 is screw" threaded at its end and this end 8 operates in atappedso that the position-of the :lug 6 ing ends of the pins 7 canbe regulated. at i will. Both pins can if desirable be screwthreaded and thus adjustablebut it will be readily understood that by adjusting? .the

position of one and permitting-the-otherto V move free y under the influence of its sprin the position of the lubricator can be adjusted and the lubricator as a whole will be still capable of yielding. That is to say,

it is slightly movable about its pivot in opposition to the spring 9.

'- he end of the devlce remote from the pivotal connection, (whichincludesa cylin- P der having a relatively enlarged portion 4 and a relatively reduced portion 4'?) is formed with two branches 10 and 11 each of which has rotatably mounted in it a lubricating roller 12. These lubricating rollers 12 are normally out of contact with the wh eel flange but when the device is operating they make rolling contact with the wheel flange in a manner which will hereafter be explained, and it will-be understood that the. ability of the whole device to move slightly'about its pivotal connection will prevent any undue frictionbetween the rollers 12 and the wheel flange. The housings 13 and 14 in which the lubricatin rollers 12 are mounted are'yconnectcd by 011 passages l 15 and 16 with a central passage 17 leading to an oil chamber fed from a suitably lo- 'cated' supply through the pipe 19, and communication with the rollers 12 is effected by the passages 23 controlled by needle valves 24. The passage 17 has a valve seating 20 at the inner end of its .reduced part and a valve 21 is normally clos'edupon this seating and prevents any accidentalleakage of ubricant to the rollers 12. The valve 21 has grooves 22 cut in its periphery to permit of the passage of lubricant from the back to the -front of the valve when said valve is off the seating. A" valve stem 25 passes centrally through its outer end. Between a shoulder 27 and the packing 28 a compression spring 29 is located The oilchamber 18 is formed. by a hollow piston-like device 30, which is slidable through guides 31 and 32 carried in the main casingoflthe apparatus and this hollow piston device has 'aflan'ge 33 and.

a spring 34 operates between this flange and guide; 31. F .The' piston-like device 30 a fittingring device;41which is slidable in the main casingjof the apparatus and-a stuflin box 42 is provided for the.valve stem;25. The numeral 43' indicates the lubricating oil supply which is controlled by l the cook 44 and a check valve 45, which lattot isprovided with-peripheral grooves 46 to enable the oil tonormally pass into thepipe 19 and thence through the openings 47 and 48 into the chamber 18 formed by the interior of the piston like device 30.

The numeral 4 9 designates the casing of a compressed air valve which is connected up to a source of cdmpressed air which in the case of railway {vehicles may be associated with the airbrake system. This valve device comprises apiston 50 slidasble in the casing 49, 'the piston carrying a fitting ringv 51. -A piston valve 52 controlled by a spring 53 operates in cojijunction with a seat 54. The valve is normally shut and the compressed air is "thus stopped at the valve. Pivoted at 55 to a bracket 56 projecting from the air valve casing 49 a controlling arm or lever 57 is provided, one end of which arm or .lever is pivoted to the outer end of the air valve piston 50 and the other end of this'controlling arm carries a roller 58. This roller, which is preferably provided with some automatic form of lubri eating device such as that shown by Fig.

1' 6. ormally clear ofthe wheel 2 as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings, but when the wheel encounters a curve on the track, the

lateral movement of the wheel upon its axle diminishes the space 59 and the wheel contacts with the roller 58 and moves the controlling\arm or lever 57 about its pivot 55 and thus the piston 50 is actuated and contacting with the stem of the valve 52 the exhaust port 60 is first closed by the ring 51 covering it and the valve 52 then moves off. its seat and compressed air from the chamber 61 is passed by way of the passa es 6.2 and 63 to the chamber 64 formed in t e main casing of the apparatus. The piston device 30- is forced out to its maximum travel against the influence of its spring 34 and carries with it all-its connections and the lubricating rollers 12 contact with the wheel flange and compression 'is applied to the tension spring 39, the pin and slot connection 37 and 38 permitting relative movement of the parts and the valve 21 is separated from its seat. ,The movement oft 1e piston device -30- establishes .connection throughthe passage 65 in the valve stem 25 with the oil chamber 18, it being 'under-' stood that the valve 21 and its stem are held by the pin 26- vcontacting with the outer face of the -nut or cap 66. The oil in the chamber 18 1s nowunder the pressure of the compressed aira-nd the check valve 45 im mediately closes and since the valve 21 is off its seat the lubricating oil is f forced through the passages 17 15 and 16 and the openings 23 to the lubricating rollers and the rotation of the wheel 2' causes the flange to be lubricated without any undesirable, lubrication of its tread.

' Immediately the wheel leaves the curve in the track and reaches'a straight part again it will be understood that the roller 58 loses contact with the wheel 2 and the device returns to its normal condition under the infiuence of its springs. That is to say, the

spring 53 returns the piston 52 to its normal position on the seat 54, shutting off the supply of compressed air and causing the piston 50 to move sufficiently to open the exhaust port 60 and thus permit theescape of any compressed air. The air pressure being reduced the springs 34 and 39 return the piston device 30 and its connections including the lubricating rollers to their normal positions away from the wheel 2. The

check valve 45 opens and a fresh supply of I oil ready for the next operation flows in, it being understood that the cock 44 is normally open. It will also-be, understood that the particular construction and arrangement hereinbefore described isgiven merely as a Z convenient construction a d may be varied ,and modified in various .ways within the scope of my claims. For instance, instead of the controlling lever being operated by contact with the wheel, such lever could equally well be operated by contact with some other part of the vehicle, such for instance as by contact with the vehicle frame as shown in 1g. 7.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1-. A wheel flange lubricator comprising ,in combination, a lubricating device'normally inoperative and provided with rotary means adapted for rolling engagement with the wheel flange 'to apply lubricant thereto and normally outof contact therewith, and

means operating upon altered position of the wheel about the track curves for releasing a fluid pressure medium to initiate a flow of the lubricant and engaging said r0 tary means with the flange to lubricate the same, substantially as'described.

2. A wheel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a lubricating. device pro-,

vided with rotary means normally out of rolling engagement with the wheel flange, and mechanism operated when the wheel engages the track curve for releasing a fluid pressure medium to-initiate a flow of lubricant to said rotary means and engaging said means with the flange of the wheel, substantially as described.

3. A wheel flange lubricator comprising and engaging said rotary elements with the flange of the wheel to apply lubricant thereto, substantially as described.

4. A wheel flange liibricator comprising in combination, a lubricating device provided with converging rollers adapted forengagement with opposite sides of the wheel flange, and. mechanism actuated when the wheel strikes a curve in the track for initiating a flow of iubricant to said rollers and engaging the same with said flange, substantially as'described.

5. A wheel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a swinging lubricator device provided with rollers for applying lubricant to opposite sides of the wheel flange, yielding means for holding said device in a given position, and adjusting mechanism for altering the action of said means, substantially as described.

6.9 wheel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a swinging lubricator device provided with rollers for applying lubricant lac/opposite sides of the wheel flange, opposing yielding means for holding the device in a given position, and adjusting mechanism for altering the action of said means, substantially as described.

7. A wheel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a swinging lubricator device provided with rolling means for applying lubricant to the wheel flange yielding means for holding said device in a given position,

and adjusting mechanism, for altering the action mtsaid yielding means, substantially, as descrihed.

. 8. Av heel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a swinging lubric'ator. device provided with elementsdisposed in diverging relation with respect to each other and adapted to apply lubricant to the wheel flange and lying normally out of engagementtherewith, yielding means for holding said elements-in a given lateral position, and

mechanism for longitudinally moving, said elements into engagement with the wheel flange when the wheel strikes a curve, substantially as described. v

9. A wheel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a lubricating device normally held in an inoperative position and provided with discharge means for supply ing lubricant to the wheel flange, and means operating upon altered position of the wheel about track-curves for releasing a fluid pressure medium to move said device into an operative position and initiate a supply of,

lubricant to the Wheel, substantially as described.

10. A wheel flange lubricator comprising in combination, a normally inoperative device for applying lubricant to a wheel flange adapted to receive a continuous supply of lubricant, said device having a normally closed fluid pressure connection for discharging the lubricant therein onto the flange, structural mechanism for simultane ously rendering the device operative and admitting fluld pressure to discharge the lubricant therefrom, and a device actuated by the admitted fluid pressure for shutting as the supply of lubricant, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I ailix in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES EDlVARD FEENEY. Witnesses:

J. A. ALEGRIA, W. J. WIGHTWICK.

my signature 

